Off The Tracks

Off The Tracks
  • Blog
    • Interviews
    • Miscellany
    • Special Guests
    • Reviews
  • Podcasts
  • The Vinyl Countdown
  • Back Catalogue
  • About
    • About
    • About the banner image
    • On Song
    • Advertise

Posts Tagged Guest Blog

Archive

December 7, 2018 by Simon Sweetman

The Ghost of Electricity: War Stories by Jon McLeary # 208 Pete Shelley

Late 2009. The Spines at that time were Les Knight on bass, Riki Gooch on drums and me. We had just recorded the Bloodmonster album and I was about 50 and drinking a lot at Bodega – a period of renaissance for the band. I’d always been a fan of the Buzzcocks in the early […]
Posted in Blog, Miscellany · Tagged # 208, 2009, Bloodmonster, Bodega, Buzzcocks, Eulogy, Ghost, Ghost Stories, Guest Blog, Guest Post, Jon Mcleary, Les Knight, Moe, Opening Act, Pete Shelley, Pop, Punk, R.I.P., Riki Gooch, Singles Going Steady, Spines, Steve Diggle, The Buzzcocks, The Ghost of Electricity, The Ghost of Electricity: War Stories by Jon McLeary # 208 Pete Shelley, War Stories, War Stories by Jon McLeary, War Stories by Jon McLeary # 208, Wellington, You can support Off The Tracks via PressPatron ·

Archive

June 12, 2018 by Simon Sweetman

The Ghost of Electricity: War Stories by Jon McLeary # 207 One Day In The Life

Taking a day off today That pain I get has amped up again Nothing I can do about it Just drink water and wait it out Might try and do a bit more on this painting It’s coming along
Posted in Blog, Miscellany · Tagged Accident, Art, Ghost, Guest Blog, Guest Post, Help!, Helping, Jon Mcleary, Karma, Newtown, One Day In The Life, Painting, Spines, The Ghost of Electricity, The Ghost of Electricity: War Stories by Jon McLeary, The Ghost of Electricity: War Stories by Jon McLeary # 207 One Day In The Life, The Spines, Trafffic, War Stories, War Stories # 207, Wellington, Writing, You can support Off The Tracks via PressPatron ·

Archive

May 21, 2018 by Simon Sweetman

The Ghost of Electricity: War Stories by Jon McLeary # 206 Split Enz

I saw them at some key gigs in their strange career. At the Great Ngarauawahia Music Festival when they were Split Ends. I was fourteen and like most people there to see Black Sabbath but I do remember they were interesting. Dressed pretty much like everybody else there – a much different spectacle than what […]
Posted in Blog, Miscellany · Tagged #206, Art, Enz, ep.206, Guest, Guest Blog, Guest Post, Jon Mcleary, Kiwi, Mike Chunn, Music, Nambassa, Neil Finn, Ngarauwahia, NZ, Painting, Phil Judd, Spellbound, Spines, Split Ends, Split Enz, The Enz, The Ghost of Electricity, The Ghost of Electricity: War Stories, The Ghost of Electricity: War Stories by Jon McLeary, The Ghost of Electricity: War Stories by Jon McLeary # 206, The Ghost of Electricity: War Stories by Jon McLeary # 206 Split Enz, The Spines, Tim Finn, War Stories # 206, War Stories by Jon McLeary, War Stories by Jon McLeary # 206, Wellington, Writing, You can support Off The Tracks via PressPatron ·

Archive

May 2, 2018 by Simon Sweetman

The Nightwatchman Clicks His Flashlight: On Jon McLeary’s Double Century of Ghost Posts

Well, he’s a cricket fan, so he’ll enjoy the mention of a “double century” – but one thing I learned a while back is that you have to pick your moments and celebrate your own milestones in this writing-online caper. You have to turn up. And turn up. And turn up again. And if you […]
Posted in Blog, Miscellany · Tagged Art, Band, Blog, Bob Dylan, Bruno Lawrence, Chris Knox, Cricket, Family, Films, Ghost, Ghost posts, Guest Blog, Guest Post, Heart, Jon Mcleary, Manslaughter, Movies, Music, Novel, On Jon McLeary’s Double Century of Ghost Posts, Painting, Peter McLeavey, Spines, The Ghost, The Ghost of Electricity: War Stories by Jon McLeary, The Nightwatchman Clicks His Flashlight, The Nightwatchman Clicks His Flashlight: On Jon McLeary’s Double Century of Ghost Posts, The Spines, War Stories, Wellington, Writing, You can support Off The Tracks via PressPatron ·

Archive

May 1, 2018 by Simon Sweetman

The Ghost of Electricity: War Stories by Jon McLeary # 205 Stop the World

I think it took me over ten years to write this song. I know I started on the verses in 1980 after the demise of Negative Theatre. I’d read an interview with Steely Dan where they talked about mu major chords and I played the A, E, A, D, C#m, D, A, E, A pattern […]
Posted in Blog, Miscellany · Tagged #205, A Snakelike Life, Art, Castaneda, Ghost, Ghost Stories, Guest Blog, Guest Post, Holloway Rd, Holloway Road, Jon Mcleary, Music, Negative Theatre, Painting, Song, Songwriting, Spines, Steely Dan, Stop The World, The Ghost, The Ghost of Electricity, The Ghost of Electricity: War Stories, The Ghost of Electricity: War Stories by Jon McLeary, The Ghost of Electricity: War Stories by Jon McLeary # 205 Stop the World, The Spines, War Stories, War Stories # 205, War Stories by Jon McLeary, Wellington, Writing, You can support Off The Tracks via PressPatron ·

Archive

April 23, 2018 by Simon Sweetman

The Ghost of Electricity: War Stories by Jon McLeary # 204 The Set List

It was where we got our name from in the first place The Spines very first gig We’d been unable to decide from a long list of terrible attempts It was a packed University hall at lunchtime orientation Malcom McSporran was going to introduce us and he asked me what we were called I looked […]
Posted in Blog, Miscellany · Tagged Art, Ghost, Ghost Stories # 204, Guest Blog, Guest Post, Jon Mcleary, Music, Negative Theatre, Set List, Setlist, Songs, Spines, The Ghost of Electricity, The Ghost of Electricity: War Stories, The Ghost of Electricity: War Stories by Jon McLeary # 204, The Ghost of Electricity: War Stories by Jon McLeary # 204 The Set List, The Ghost of Electricity: War Stories by Jon McLeary4, The Set List, The Spines, War Stories, War Stories by Jon McLeary, War Stories by Jon McLeary # 204 The Set List, Wellington, Wgtn, Writing, You can support Off The Tracks via PressPatron ·

Archive

April 16, 2018 by Simon Sweetman

The Ghost of Electricity: War Stories by Jon McLeary # 203 Visions of JoHannah

“But Mona Lisa must have had the highway blues You can tell by the way she smiles” Bob Dylan I’ve said it before – It’s hard to talk about the act of painting without appearing pretentious
Posted in Blog, Miscellany · Tagged 203, Art, Bob Dylan, Face, Facebook, Ghost, Ghost Stories, Guest Blog, Guest Post, Hannah, Hannah Fraser, JoHannah, Jon Mcleary, Music, Oil, Painting, Paintings, Spines, The Ghost, The Ghost of Electricity, The Ghost of Electricity: War Stories, The Ghost of Electricity: War Stories by Jon McLeary # 203 Visions of JoHannah, The Spines, Visions of JoHannah, War Stories, War Stories # 203, War Stories by Jon McLeary, War Stories by Jon McLeary # 203, Wgtn, Writing, You can support Off The Tracks via PressPatron ·

Archive

April 11, 2018 by Simon Sweetman

The Ghost of Electricity: War Stories by Jon McLeary # 202 The Spicks and the Specks

They weren’t actually steel caps but they looked like they were Originally they were tramping boots I got at an op shop I wore them for the two years I was working with urethanes and fiberglass on the Hobbit So they were covered with different coloured substances, dripped over a long period At the end […]
Posted in Blog, Miscellany · Tagged Art, Feet, Ghost, Ghost Stories, Guest Blog, Guest Post, Jon Mcleary, Music, Painting, Shoes, Socks, Spines, The Ghost, The Ghost of Electricity: War Stories, The Ghost of Electricity: War Stories by Jon McLeary, The Ghost of Electricity: War Stories by Jon McLeary # 202 The Spicks and the Specks, The Hobbit, The Spicks and the Specks, The Spines, War Stories, War Stories # 202, War Stories by Jon McLeary, War Stories by Jon McLeary # 202, Wellington, Wgtn, Writing, You can support Off The Tracks via PressPatron ·

Archive

April 3, 2018 by Simon Sweetman

The Ghost of Electricity: War Stories by Jon McLeary # 201 Tora Tora Tora 2018

The big highlights were all musical ones for me this year. We played first up in the late afternoon sun. Tim and I had travelled over together, talking old times and catching up. We have all this history. He had been the drummer that replaced Caroline in the earliest days of the band and then […]
Posted in Blog, Miscellany · Tagged 201, 2018), Art, Easter, ep.201, Guest Blog, Guest Post, Music, Painting, Spines, The Ghost, The Ghost of Electricity, The Ghost of Electricity: War Stories by Jon McLeary # 10 Halo, The Ghost of Electricity: War Stories by Jon McLeary # 20 Idiot Sun/Flying Nun, The Ghost of Electricity: War Stories by Jon McLeary # 201, The Ghost of Electricity: War Stories by Jon McLeary # 201 Tora Tora Tora 2018, The Spines, Tim, Tora, Tora Tora, Tora Tora Tora, Tora Tora Tora 2018, War Stories, War Stories # 201, Wellington, Wgtn, You can support Off The Tracks via PressPatron ·

Archive

March 27, 2018 by Simon Sweetman

The Ghost of Electricity: War Stories by Jon McLeary # 200 The Last Cigarette In The World

I watch another boat in the harbour sail out Sitting on my own in the bay By the time you get to China on that slow ship I’ll have bitten all my nails and crumbled into the carpet   You had no clear idea of what you’re looking for You only knew you couldn’t stay […]
Posted in Blog, Miscellany · Tagged 200, Cigarettes, Death, Ghost, Ghost Stories, Ghost Story, Guest Blog, Guest Post, Hawker St, Jon Mcleary, Lyric, Music, Oriental Bay, Rock'n'Roll Suicide, Smoke, Smoking, Song, Songwriting, Spines, Suicide, The Ghost, The Ghost of Electricity: War Stories, The Ghost of Electricity: War Stories by Jon McLearThe Ghost of Electricity: War Stories by Jon McLearyThe Ghost of Electricity: War Stories by Jon McLeary, The Ghost of Electricity: War Stories by Jon McLeary, The Ghost of Electricity: War Stories by Jon McLeary # 200, The Ghost of Electricity: War Stories by Jon McLeary # 200 The Last Cigarette In The World, The Last Cigarette In The World, Two Hundred, War Stories, War Stories # 200, War Stories by Jon McLeary, Weekly Column, Wellington, You can support Off The Tracks via PressPatron, Ziggy Stardust ·

Archive

March 6, 2018 by Simon Sweetman

The Ghost of Electricity: War Stories by Jon McLeary # 199 The Show Must Go On

It was a stinking hot day We were lined up to play At 4.20 My legs seemed to be healing up But still tender and sore Post op
Posted in Blog, Miscellany · Tagged Ghost, Ghost Stories, Guest Blog, Guest Post, Hot, Jon Mcleary, Music, Newtown, Newtown Fair, Sick, Spines, Surgery, The Ghost of Electricity, The Ghost of Electricity: War Stories by Jon McLeary, The Ghost of Electricity: War Stories by Jon McLeary # 199, The Ghost of Electricity: War Stories by Jon McLeary # 199 The Show Must Go On, The Show Must Go On, The Spines, War Stories, War Stories # 199, War Stories by Jon McLeary, War Stories by Jon McLeary # 199, Weather, Wellington, Wgtn, You can support Off The Tracks via PressPatron ·

Archive

February 26, 2018 by Simon Sweetman

The Ghost of Electricity: War Stories by Jon McLeary # 198 You Will Walk

I have had this problem with my left leg for some time It makes it difficult to walk very far And it started just after we finished mastering Epidural   I’ve got the operation on it tomorrow To free the flow of blood…
Posted in Blog, Miscellany · Tagged Art, Epidural, Ghost, Guest Blog, Guest Post, Halo, Health, Hospital, Jon Mcleary, Leg, Music, Operation, Painting, Riki Gooch, Spines, The Ghost of Electricity, The Ghost of Electricity: War Stories by Jon McLeary, The Ghost of Electricity: War Stories by Jon McLeary # 198, The Ghost of Electricity: War Stories by Jon McLeary # 198 You Will Walk, The Spines, War Stories, War Stories # 198, Wellington, Writing, You can support Off The Tracks via PressPatron, You Will Walk ·
← Older posts

Popular

  • Janna Lapidus Leblanc: Four Years In Pictures
  • The Sad Story of Bob Welch: Fleetwood Mac’s Most Undervalued Member
  • The Best Guitarist in The World: # 8 – Mark Knopfler
  • Sweetman Podcast # 247: Talia Marshall
  • John Patitucci / Vinnie Colaiuta / Bill Cunliffe: TRIO
  • The Best Guitarist in The World: # 11 – Lindsey Buckingham
  • Poem: “It Was Like Watching Myself Die”
  • R.I.P. Lawrence Ferlinghetti
  • Substack: “Sounds Good!”
  • The Weather Station: Ignorance

Archives

Tags

Album Review Auckland Book Book Review Chat Compilation DJ DVD DVD Review EP Film Film Review Gig Gig Review Guest Blog Guitar Interview Jazz Jon Mcleary Live Live Gig LP Movie Music NZ Podcast Poem Record Records Simon Sweetman Soundtrack Spines Spotify Stub Stubs Sweetman Podcast The Ghost of Electricity The Spines The Vinyl Countdown Vinyl Wellington Wgtn Writing You can support Off The Tracks via PressPatron [OST]

Categories

  • Back Catalogue
  • Blog
  • Interviews
  • Miscellany
  • Mixtapes
  • Playlists
  • Podcasts
  • Reviews
  • Scene Of The Day
  • Special Guests
  • The Vinyl Countdown

Off The Tracks is the home of Sweetman Podcast, a weekly interview/chat-based pod. It's also home to my reviews across film, TV, music and books and some creative writing as well.

Off The Tracks aims to provide quality reviews and essays, regular blog updates about the shows, albums, books and movies you should be experiencing.

It's a passion project. Your support will help to keep Off The Tracks online.

All content © 2021 by Off The Tracks. WordPress Themes by Graph Paper Press